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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26429749">Homesick</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiny_voices/pseuds/tiny_voices'>tiny_voices</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cheering Up a Friend, Comfort, Conversations, Dialogue Heavy, Friendship, Gen, Homesickness, sharing backstories, the other members of the party are mentioned but they only show up at the end, wrote this for a campaign that didn't get finished</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:41:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26429749</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiny_voices/pseuds/tiny_voices</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eris is unusually quiet and sad, and Aubrey seeks to cheer her up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Homesick</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this a while back for the first real campaign I was in. Aubrey is my halfling rogue, Eris is a friend's tiefling fighter. The campaign was kinda short-lived, but I still really liked our characters and wanted them to have a little more time together.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Riding the high that comes from using the elevator, Aubrey heads into the headquarters with a spring in her step. The place is oddly quiet, with no one in the lobby and no one coming down the hall. She recalls that Relin and Kova had made plans to find Relin some more nice clothes for his meeting with that Ferris guy (Kova had insisted his previous choices weren't colorful enough to "make a statement"), and that Leon and Dickard were off doing their own thing, as per usual. Faint sounds of tinkering were audible from Aradne's room, and who knows what Lilia was always up to in her room. That only left...</p><p> </p><p>"Eris!" Aubrey says brightly as she arrives at the door of their shared bedroom. Eris, perched on her bunk with her knees pulled close to her chest and her tail curled halfway around herself, looks up at the sound of her name.</p><p> </p><p>"Aubrey," she says quietly with a halfhearted wave of her hand. Her focus turns back to the small fox plush resting on the mattress in front of her.</p><p> </p><p>Sensing something is slightly off, Aubrey walks more slowly into the room, glancing around the four bunks. Personal effects decorate all of them in various states of organization. Aubrey's own bunk with the sheets only about three-quarters tousled on account of her size relative to the bed, her bow and small quiver of arrows slung over a bedpost, playing cards spilling from their box which had previously fallen from her pack, a ball bearing here and there. Kova's bunk, made up with the sheets neatly tucked and the pillows straightened, is populated only by her pack, her conspicuous prayer book, and a small sketchbook with a few coloring tools tied on with string, her crossbow stowed underneath the bunk. Relin's, made about halfway, is cluttered with a number of spellbooks and papers along with the last remaining piece of cake. And finally Eris's bunk, permanently in a state suggesting a tornado had hit it, currently houses a few pieces of her armor and some of her leatherworking tools, along with that stuffed fox.</p><p> </p><p>It's a cute plush, a little tattered and smudged, clearly well-loved and often cuddled. For a moment Aubrey watches Eris stare at the toy, her dark eyes trained on it in a way Aubrey wouldn't have expected from her. "What’s up? You alright?" she asks, tilting her head slightly.</p><p> </p><p>Eris shrugs, noncommittal. "Yeah, I'm alright."</p><p> </p><p>Aubrey imagines the white fur of the plush pressed against a younger tiefling's cheek, hugged close for comfort or security. With a frown she thinks this image wouldn't be very out of place in the present moment. Her voice softens. "Feeling a little homesick, maybe?"</p><p> </p><p>Eris looks back at her, brow furrowing. "I -- how can you tell?" Her eyebrows rise now. "Am I that obvious?"</p><p> </p><p>Aubrey gives a small laugh, a quick breath through her nose. "Eh," she says, waving off the assumption casually. "I'm good at reading people, I guess."</p><p> </p><p>Eris rests her chin on her knees, the tip of her tail twitching. "Maybe I don't want to be read."</p><p> </p><p>"Oh. Sorry." Aubrey fiddles with the drawstrings of her cape. "Well, I'm here for you, if you wanna talk or anything."</p><p> </p><p>"Pass."</p><p> </p><p>There's a moment where Aubrey feels a little hurt before she reminds herself not to take it personally. "You sure?"</p><p> </p><p>Eris nods, eyes averted again.</p><p> </p><p>"Alright." Suddenly feeling awkward, Aubrey climbs up to her bunk and retrieves a few ball bearings. She would just go to the lobby and practice juggling a little more, maybe this time with her mage hand. Really, it was baffling how she seemed to be competent at it only while intoxicated. "Bye."</p><p> </p><p>Behind her Eris makes a vague noise of protest. "I expected you to pry more than that."</p><p> </p><p>"Uh," Aubrey stutters, caught off guard, "do you <em>want</em> me to pry?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes," Eris replies, as if it's obvious.</p><p> </p><p>Aubrey gives her an amused smile. "Okay." Eris scoots over on the bed to make room for Aubrey, turning to sit with her feet resting on the floor. Aubrey takes a seat next to her, copying her posture. "Why don't you tell me what's on your mind, then?"</p><p> </p><p>"The thing is, it's very... warm here, down from the north," she says, the crinkle in her brow returning.</p><p> </p><p>"Not what you're used to," Aubrey responds knowingly.</p><p> </p><p>"None of it is. This city is large and crowded and there's <em>rules </em>for everything. And I'm expected to know them and follow them." Her tail lashes once, thumping quietly on the mattress behind her. "It gets annoying after a while."</p><p> </p><p>"Understandable," Aubrey admits. "Not everything about traveling somewhere new is gonna be good, after all." She starts gently tossing one of the ball bearings and catching it in one hand. "What brought you down here, anyway?"</p><p> </p><p>Eris crosses her arms slowly as she answers. "I wanted to get stronger. And to find somewhere better for my tribe to live, if possible," she says with a sigh. "I don't really know what I had been expecting, but I didn't think it would be this... complicated?"</p><p> </p><p>"Ah, hey, the world is a big place. Huge, really!" Eris looks at Aubrey with a "so what?" expression. "You've only just begun to see it. Got plenty of time to find what you're after and get it all figured out."</p><p> </p><p>Eris shrugs one shoulder. "I suppose that's a nice way of looking at it."</p><p> </p><p>"As for getting stronger," Aubrey continues, "well, I think that's going pretty well for ya. And you were already tough when we met. Heck, you charged a bear!"</p><p> </p><p>Eris smiles at her enthusiasm, shaking her head. "We dealt with bears back home all the time."</p><p> </p><p>The ball bearing goes up. "Really?" The ball bearing comes back down into Aubrey's palm. "I figured you were just embellishing when we fought those weasels."</p><p> </p><p>"There's all sorts of beasts up there. Sometimes we had to fight them," Eris says, nonchalant.</p><p> </p><p>"Sounds kinda scary."</p><p> </p><p>Eris shrugs again. "That's just how it is, how I grew up."</p><p> </p><p>Aubrey nods. Another point of her curiosity then occurs to her. "Does everyone in your tribe have horns and a tail?" she asks, glancing at the features in question.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes."</p><p> </p><p>"Are they all your family?"</p><p> </p><p>"Well, not by blood, not entirely. My immediate family is..." Eris pauses as her face takes on a thoughtful look, silently mouthing words in some other language. She does this now and then and Aubrey now recognizes it to be translating. "...the one who gave birth to me, along with my father and mother. And my sister. We've always been close. And of course I had my uncles and cousins and such there as well." Her voice begins to take on a softer tone, growing nostalgic. "But there's more than just us. It's kind of a mix, like a big extended family and lots of... might-as-well-be family. Everyone has things they do for the tribe's benefit. We all take care of each other."</p><p> </p><p>"That sounds really nice," Aubrey tells her earnestly.</p><p> </p><p>Eris nods, her gaze drifting back to the fox plush. "On really, really cold nights we'd gather in a tent, all bundled up in warm furs, and share stories of hunting and battles." She glances at Aubrey over her shoulder. "That one about my cousin nearly being eaten by a dire rabbit? Entirely true."</p><p> </p><p>"Wow," Aubrey whispers, still not certain if Eris is being facetious or not. "Your home sounds really cool."</p><p> </p><p>Eris blinks. "Uh, yeah, it is very cold up there."</p><p> </p><p>Aubrey giggles before she can stop herself. "No, I mean it's like, interesting and unique!"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh."</p><p> </p><p>"Seems like a really neat place with good, strong people," Aubrey continues. "I see why you would miss it from time to time."</p><p> </p><p>Eris sighs, her tail curling closer to her body. "Yeah."</p><p> </p><p>"I hope you don't feel bad about it." Aubrey reaches up and gives Eris's shoulder a couple pats. "I think everyone gets homesick sometimes."</p><p> </p><p>The tail slowly lifts so that the end of it brushes the back of Aubrey's hand. Eris turns her head toward Aubrey again. "Do you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Of course."</p><p> </p><p>Eris uncrosses her arms, placing the stuffed fox in her lap. "What is your home like?"</p><p> </p><p>"Well," Aubrey starts, bringing her feet up close to her on the bed, "it's pretty typical as far as halfling towns go, I think. Mostly farmers, a few crafters. We had a forest real close by I liked to traipse around in." She pats her leg and nods. "Generally nice, quiet place to live."</p><p> </p><p>"Any siblings?"</p><p> </p><p>"A brother. He's a lot older than me, though. He kept a little garden of sorts in his room, herbs and things."</p><p> </p><p>"Is it just halflings, then?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yep! Although sometimes travelers would pass through and stay in town a while. We were happy to have them." Aubrey smiles. "With travel comes good stories, after all."</p><p> </p><p>"For sure."</p><p> </p><p>"That's actually sorta how I got my fancy feet--"</p><p> </p><p>"Fancy feet?" Eris interrupts, confused. She glances down at Aubrey's small green boots.</p><p> </p><p>"It's an expression. It's when you get wanderlust, basically."</p><p> </p><p>"Oh."</p><p> </p><p>"See, one morning a group of adventurers showed up and stayed for a few days." Aubrey grows more animated as she speaks, recounting the excitement of this memory. "They were great. Myself and my friends and neighbors sat around a bonfire with them and listened to a bunch of their tales. One of them, this feisty dwarf guy, offered to teach us how to use a sword, just some basics. Couple of the others pitched in and it became a sort of class." She grins proudly. "The dwarf was actually the one that gave me this sword." She taps on the hilt of the sword at her hip.</p><p> </p><p>"So you all learned to fight just, like, for fun?" Eris asks, as though expecting more.</p><p> </p><p>"Kinda, yeah." Aubrey rolls a ball bearing between her thumb and index finger, enthusiasm dampened. "I mean, we're raised to know the basics of protecting ourselves but usually it doesn't come to weapons."</p><p> </p><p>"Must be a very safe place you come from."</p><p> </p><p>Aubrey shrugs. "We had trouble from time to time. But yeah, the ol' lady keeps us safe." She pauses, looking away for a moment. <em>Usually.</em></p><p> </p><p>Eris blinks at her again. "Who's the old lady?"</p><p> </p><p>Aubrey focuses back to Eris and continues on smoothly. "Yondalla. She's like... every halfling's mom. Looks after us. Helps us out of tricky situations."</p><p> </p><p>A look of partial understanding comes over Eris's face. "So, because of this woman, halflings don't need to fight much."</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah." Aubrey ignores the nagging feeling of judgment. "But that dwarf said we oughta be trained, oughta be able to take care of ourselves, fight and defend with dignity and all that. So we trained. Some with blades, others with magic. By the time those adventurers left, my friends and I were so inspired we decided to go out traveling ourselves."</p><p> </p><p>The tip of Eris's tail curls up as she smiles. "That's cute." But then her smile drops. "Where are they now? You weren't with anyone when we met."</p><p> </p><p>Aubrey's mouth opens to speak but she fails to say anything for a moment. "Uh, well," she begins, fidgeting with the ball bearing again. She watches herself weave it between her fingers. "We went our separate ways, eventually. Couple of 'em wanted to go back home, couple others wanted to try setting up a business in a city we stopped in." She tosses the ball bearing up and catches it in her other hand without moving her gaze. "And I kept going."</p><p> </p><p>Eris seems to consider this. "Was there an argument, or...?"</p><p> </p><p>"No, nothing like that." Aubrey shakes her head. Her posture loosens as she continues. "We just wanted different things, that's all." She shrugs at Eris, a 'what can you do' sort of gesture.</p><p> </p><p>Eris hums and rests her chin on the stuffed fox's head. "So halflings really like stories, huh?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, yeah. They're one of the best ways to learn," Aubrey says. "I mean, you learned to avoid dire rabbits from a story, yeah?"</p><p> </p><p>A chuckle. "True."</p><p> </p><p>"And getting people together to share stories... I don't know. I think it helps pick 'em up." Aubrey scoots closer to Eris and nudges her with her elbow. "Yeah?"</p><p> </p><p>For a beat Eris just stares at her, tail idly curling down. "Sure?"</p><p> </p><p>"I mean, did it pick <em>you</em> up?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh." Eris lifts her head from the stuffed fox, a smile slowly forming on her face. "I suppose I do feel a little better now."</p><p> </p><p>Aubrey beams. "I'm glad."</p><p> </p><p>The two of them perk up at the mechanical sound of turning gears, signaling someone's arrival via elevator. Aubrey especially listens closely, fascinated by the technology.</p><p> </p><p>"We're back!" A deep and gravelly voice, unmistakably Kova's, booms from the lobby.</p><p> </p><p>"Anyone home?" Relin calls out after her, a bit quieter. There's a rustling of bags being placed onto a table.</p><p> </p><p>"Sounds like magic man has more clothes to show off," Aubrey says, already getting to her feet. "Wanna go and see?"</p><p> </p><p>Eris nods, taking the fox plush off her lap as she stands up. "Aubrey?"</p><p> </p><p>The halfling stops at the doorway. "Yeah?"</p><p> </p><p>Eris carefully puts the fox on her pillow and walks over to her. "Thanks," she whispers, ruffling Aubrey's already messy hair as she exits the room.</p><p> </p><p>In response Aubrey just makes a content sound and follows Eris out into the lobby.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading c:</p><p>btw i take writing and drawing commissions, for more info check out my Carrd: https://bagofbeans.carrd.co/</p></blockquote></div></div>
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